Texas Reps. Will Metcalf and Cecil Bell Jr. announced they will seek re-election in 2018.

Metcalf, R-Conroe, said in a statement Monday that he would be running again to represent District 16, which covers parts of Montgomery County, including Conroe, Montgomery, Willis, New Caney and Splendora. Bell, R-Magnolia, told The Courier by phone that he would run for another term to represent District 3, an area that covers parts of Montgomery County, including Magnolia, all the way to Southeast Montgomery County and Waller County.

Metcalf's announcement and word from Bell comes after state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, said last week he would seek re-election. State Rep. Mark Keough, R-The Woodlands, who represents District 15, previously announced he would not be running again to serve in the state House of Representatives. Instead, Keough will be running for Montgomery County judge in the March 2018 Republican Party primary election against incumbent County Judge Craig Doyal. Steve Toth, who previously held the District 15 seat, will run for that position again.

During this past session, Metcalf, Keough and Bell were sponsors of a bill that will have voters decide on who serves on the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors. That bill – House Bill 1982 – has been signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott after breezing through the state Legislature.

Metcalf also was author of a bill that will allow homeowners who want to appeal their property appraisals to do so by phone, instead of having to go into a district office. Those new rules go in effect on Sept. 1.

Metcalf and Bell were part of a move by the Montgomery County contingency, which included Keough and state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, that had called on the governor to call for a special legislative session this summer. In announcing he would be running again, Metcalf trumpeted what was accomplished during the regular session.

"This session, we passed a balanced budget and preserved more than $9 billion in our emergency fund. We ended all partial-birth abortions once and for all. And we banned sanctuary cities, which had risked lives by ignoring immigration laws, particularly when it came to people committing other crimes," Metcalf said. "I am proud of these conservative accomplishments, but there is more work to be done to defend our constitutional rights, reduce property taxes, and, above all, keep our Montgomery County families safe. I want to build on this record of success."

Bell said there were still "big issues inside our state of Texas" that need to be addressed, including property tax concerns, "traditional values" and other matters.

"There are a lot of different conversations out there," Bell said.

Metcalf has represented House District 16 since winning the seat in November of 2014. He previously entered the race to succeed Creighton, who ran for and won the Senate seat that had been vacated by Tommy Williams. Creighton was sworn into office in August 2014, while Williams left the state Senate to take a position with Texas A&M University.

Bell has represented District 3 since being sworn into office in January 2013

Metcalf will be facing a challenge in the Republican primary from Christian Ehmling, a local political activist who announced in April that he would be running for the seat.